Christmas 2010

Three silly kids on Christmas Eve!

Evidence that Santa was here...

Santa brought Evan his first bike!

But one of the pedals was broken, so Santa left him a special note...

Merry Christmas!

Waiting on the stairs as Mommy turns on the Christmas lights...

What did Santa bring? Checking it out...

Reading a letter from Santa...

Opening presents...

Playing...the boys spent much of the afternoon like this.

Playing...Olivia loves her new doll house.

Apparently the boys like the doll house too. Their new action figures raided it more than once! 

 

At the end of this day, our hearts are full of joy...overwhelmed by our blessings. 

Not the blessings that were unloaded from Santa's sleigh, but the blessings that have been poured out by our Heavenly Father. From the manger to the cross to life eternal...thank you, Jesus!

Dear Santa...

I took the kids to see Santa Claus today. 

The boys couldn't wait to see him.

For a moment, I thought that Olivia might not want to sit on his lap. No need to have worried...she RAN to him. 

Everyone smiled for the camera and shared their wishes for Christmas morning. They gave Santa hugs and said goodbye until next year.

That's when Olivia came to me and asked..."Where is it? Where's my doll house?!".

She wasn't upset or demanding...just a little confused. She thought Santa would grant her request immediately. The boys and I tried not to giggle as we explained that she would have to wait.

Just a few more days, sweet girl. Santa's on his way!

Feels Like Christmas!

We spent the day celebrating Christmas at Mimi and Papa's house. It was a wonderful day! The kids had fun playing and following their cousin Jordan everywhere he went. Kyle and I had fun visiting with his parents, sisters and brothers-in-law. There was good food, good family time and lots of good humor!

I love the picture above! Evan's expressions says...Hurry up and take the picture, Dad! I've got presents to open!

When we came home, I checked the mailbox. When I saw what was inside, I squealed with excitement and ran back in the house. Here's what the mailman brought today...

State Certified documents for our dossier.

A new ornament for our Christmas tree.

I ordered it from Kim at Embracing the Least of These...isn't it beautiful!

And finally...

A new, super soft t-shirt that I absolutely LOVE!

The Dockery family is selling these shirts to raise funds for their adoption. I think the design is precious. (My picture doesn't do it justice.) Go check out this sweet family's blog and order one for yourself!

Fun stuff, huh?!

The home study interviews went really well on Friday afternoon. Our social worker asked questions, but she also answered some of my questions. She was able to provide really good information and ease some of my fears about attaching to our daughter. I was so blessed!

Our next home study meeting is on Monday, the 27th. This visit will be in our home, so she'll meet the kiddos and see where we live this crazy life of ours! Can't wait!

Hope you're having a great weekend!

Happy Birthday, Jesus!

Olivia and Evan celebrated Christmas with their friends at school today. In each of their classes, they had birthday parties for Jesus.

They both had messy fun decorating cookies and cupcakes. Olivia recited the Lord's prayer and sang jingle bells. Evan sang the Lord's prayer and then signed it. Mommy fought back proud, happy tears!

Olivia was so excited when it came time to give Mommy the presents she made...three cute ornaments for the Christmas tree.

Me and my girl!

Evan loved decorating his cupcake with RED icing and lots of sprinkles.

And here's Evan wishing his favorite teacher, Mrs. Candy, a merry Christmas! He LOVES her. One time I asked him what makes Mrs. Candy so special. He answered, "She makes me happy and she asks me questions." I'm so grateful for this sweet woman that takes an interest in my little boy and makes him happy!

It was a great day for all of us!

I'm looking forward to celebrating Christmas with Joshua's class at school tomorrow. After that party, Christmas break will officially begin...woohooo! I'm so ready to have my little ones at home for the next two weeks!

On the adoption front...Kyle and I have our individual meetings with our social worker tomorrow afternoon. So excited because every document gathered, every interview brings us one step closer to our daughter!

Buns, Bells and Baby dolls

Buns...

My middle child LOVES to play video games. I can't tell you how many times I hear "Mommy, can I play Wii?" in any given day.

He's not quite as fond of clothing. Often he wears just enough to cover his buns. 

This is how I found him the other afternoon.

Bells...

I love the sound of the Salvation Army bell ringing outside stores...so do my kids! We never pass that red bucket without making a donation. I think it's a wonderful opportunity to teach children about the importance and the joy of giving.

Baby dolls...

[An open letter to Walmart]

Dear Walmart,

I shopped at your store tonight. I was in the market for a baby doll...one with beautiful brown skin. Your shelves were well stocked and there was a variety of dolls to choose from. Some of the dolls talked, some of the dolls walked, some came with accessories, some had a twin. But not a single doll was brown. I stood there...shocked. Then I looked around at the other shoppers. Many of them...most of them had brown skin. It just doesn't make sense to me. I'm so disappointed...so sad. I, and I'm sure many other mommies, would appreciate it if you would adjust your inventory. I'm bringing a little Ethiopian princess home to her forever family and she's going to need some baby dolls!

Gingerbread Fun...

Every Christmas, our family decorates a gingerbread house. It's one of our favorite traditions!

We start with lots of colorful, sweet decorations.

Then we all wait patiently while Daddy puts the icing on the house. He's a real pro at this!

The boys make a plan for decorating the roof of the house.

Finally...the decorating begins!

Mommy takes lots of pictures...

The final product?

A beautiful gingerbread house.

A fun evening with family.

And tummies full of candy!

Sleepy Thoughts and A Happy Heart...

It's past 2AM. Everyone is asleep...everyone but me.

At 4:00 yesterday afternoon, all I wanted was to crawl in my bed and sleep until morning. While watching TV with Kyle tonight, I fell asleep more than once. But now...when I actually have the chance to sleep and should be sleeping...I can't. 

So instead of just laying in bed thinking about sleep, I'm here. Sitting on the couch in our very dark family room, writing about sleep. I hope to be actually sleeping shortly after this post is written. We'll see.

Let me start with a quick adoption update...

Last Saturday, we had our first home study interview with our social worker. It went really, really well. For some reason, I had prepared myself for an interrogation. Something formal...intimidating. It wasn't that way at all. It was a very casual, comfortable conversation. She asked us questions and we were able to ask her questions too. We were given valuable information and insight. 

Our next interviews are scheduled for Friday, December 17th. Kyle and I will meet with the social worker individually this time. I'll go first...at 1:00. Then at 3:00 it will be Kyle's turn.

And now for the post I really sat down to write...

I often quote Proverbs 15:13 to my little ones. It says...A happy heart makes the face cheerful. Let me just tell you...I love this verse! It's a great reminder to find happiness, joy, contentment not in our circumstances, but in what God has done for us. It also reminds us that the expression on our face should be evidence of the joy in our heart.

God has made my heart happy and my face cheerful in so many ways recently. Some were small things, some were silly and some were incredibly powerful. Here are a few...

Olivia, who is 2, likes to tell me secrets. Several times this week, she put her head very close to mine, cupped her little hand around her mouth and whispered with her precious lisp, "Sthecret!". That's it...her secret is "secret". Makes me giggle every time!

Last Sunday, one of the couples in my parent's Bible fellowship class gave my mom an envelope and asked her to give it to me. When I opened the envelope later that afternoon, I found a generous financial contribution to our adoption. The generosity of this couple that Kyle and I have never met overwhelmed my heart with gratitude and made me smile through tears of joy!

After a long day at work, I found a large Diet Dr. Pepper from Sonic (my favorite) waiting for me on my front porch. A precious friend of mine knew how tired I was and left the special treat there for me. Her thoughtfulness warmed my heart and I smiled with every sip!

And, finally...the kids have been playing "Christmas" lately. Olivia always plays the role of Mary and one of my boys...usually Evan...plays the role of Joseph. The other morning, Evan was pushing Olivia throughout the house in a toy shopping cart. (When you don't have an actual donkey, a shopping cart will do...right?) After watching them for a few minutes, I asked, "Where are you going?". Evan replied, "We're going to Bethlehem to count."

So cute and so funny how their little minds learn and process...and sometimes misunderstand...things. The blessing of being a mommy to my three little ones...that makes my heart happy and my face cheerful!

Now...it's time for bed. Night night, y'all!

Home Study

At 10AM on Saturday morning, Kyle and I will meet with our social worker for the first of four home study interviews.

We're excited! Until now our adoption journey has been all about gathering documents, completing forms...lots and lots of paperwork. This is the first time we'll sit face to face with someone. 

We're also a little nervous.

Prayers are very much appreciated!